Purple Patchouli is “sort of Sixties, with orchid, black leather and amber,” said Ford. “Bois Rouge has red cedarwood; Noir de Noir is a chypre oriental with patchouli and tree moss; Moss Breches is this really rare moss, and Tobacco Vanille smells like pipe tobacco. And these are fully developed fragrances, not one-note products.”

Look for them in the new Tom Ford boutique scheduled to open on Madison Avenue, and in Bergdorf Goodman and selected Saks & Neiman Marcus stores. And save your pennies: 50 ml Eau de Parfum will be $165; 250 ml (!) will be $450.

Update: here are the individual descriptions for the Tom Ford Private Blend scents...

Amber Absolute ~ "A hallmark private blend fragrance. Amber Absolute is a honey colored scent infused with the purest form of Amber, joined by a tenacious refrain of African Incense, Labdanum, Rich Woods and a touch of Vanilla Bean."

Tobacco Vanille ~ "A modern take on an old world men’s club. A smooth oriental, Tobacco Vanille opens immediately with opulent essences of Tobacco Leaf and aromatic spice notes. The heart unfolds with creamy Tonka Bean, Tobacco Flower, Vanilla and Cocoa, and finishes with a dry fruit accord, enriched with Sweet Wood Sap."

Tuscan Leather ~ "A chypre blend of notes brings a raw, yet reserved sensuality to this original take on a classic leather scent. Saffron, Raspberry and Thyme open to Olibanum and Night Blooming Jasmine. Leather, Black Suede and Amberwood add an intricate richness."

Oh, I knew that – I'm just sore especially because of the unknown date but certainly pending reformulation of Mitsouko, lol. So that means that listing moss or having a whole moss based frag means that they are in fact using artificial replacements and not the real thing? I wish to goodness that someone would say that if you are using an artifical replacement, that it would have to stated as such. Then I can get worked up when I see moss!

I know what you mean, and since I adore oakmoss, it is very sad to see it disappear. But gosh, think of what fragrance notes would look like, LOL: artificial peach, artificial jasmine, artificial patchouli, LOL…I mean, most perfumes on the market are largely synthetic chemicals.

And I am pretty sure Mitsouko is already reformulated — I think there was a long thread at POL about this recently. The question is what you're getting when you buy, since bottles aren't dated. Best bet is to find a dusty old bottle in some down-and-out sort of store.

I love Black Orchid and I cant wait to get my nose around all of these! I am excited to smell Amber Absolute (I love Amber) and what is this Japan Noir? Do you think it will be like Nombre Noir? I suppose the answer is no, never mind! I can't wait to see the bottles because the black one for Black Orchid is amazing. I am in Liverpool and at the moment to smell these I have to go all the way down to London! I don't really mind though because it makes them feel even posher!

I didn't love Black Orchid, I find it questionable when 12 scents are released simultaneously (quality vs. quantity?) and, like Ina, I'm not happy about this trend of overpriced exclusive scents. I also thought these would be single note scents. But…grumbling aside, all my resistence is now melting when faced w/ the descriptions of Noir de Noir, Tobacco Vanille, Purple Patchouli, etc. Dear God. The Chanels, Rousse, A Maze, several of the ELdO, Oiro and now these. Uncle!!! This looks to be a dark, dark time for my budget.

Not happy about the prices either, but I'm sooo curious about the moss one and Tuscan Leather. I really didn't like Black Orquid so we'll see what happens with the others. I like that he put a little something for everyone there.

This is one of those swallow hard things. He certainly knows how to come up with some great names. Black Orchid I still can't decide if I loathe or sorta like, some days it is both. I suspect, though, that at least a few of these will be interesting.

Oakmoss and treemoss are still used in perfumes but since they are irritating, they are limited to a certain amount into the finished product. In Europe, oak/tree mosses can be 'detected' by checking the label. In the ingredients list, you will see them as evernia prunasti and evernia furfuracea. But due to all these problems, some 'synthetic' moss-smell-like materials have been created to help perfumers creating moss scents respecting regulatories. For your information, 'synthetic' does not necessarly means cheap and chemical smell. Some of the most beautiful and expensive perfumery raw materials are synthetic and essential to obtain amazing and new odours. A peach note cannot be created without synthetics. And 'Jicky' and 'Chanel 5' would not have any interest without the synthetics they contain.

I am aware of the allergen regs, thanks. And I don't think anyone here implied that synthetic meant “cheap” or “chemical smell”, or that peach notes could be created without them. My point was just that it sounds more appealing to consumers, including me, to just say “peach” in the list of notes.

Ok, maybe I did not take it the right way and I fully agree with your point as I am always bored by all this 'rubbish' marketing on fine fragrances when discribing them with 'Rose de Mai', 'Jasmin sambac' and other 'flower of peony from Himalaya' when it comes from a base or just traces levels of the natural… but to some extent what else could we say (if we imagine that they just remove these rubbish “from bla bla' appelations) to describe and sell them? What would be the point of talking of hedione, benzyl acetate, linalool, Iso E Super and co. since perfumers work on themes and accords? And we can already notice that it is now quite usual to find aldehydes, musks, ambrox, hedione and cashmeran as olfactive descriptors…

You completely sum up all my feelings on these releases here. Although I do love the Noir de Noir name – it's probably the only one I will remember! It's perfect Tom Ford cheek, and reminds me of Die Hard 2: Die Harder or whatever it was called.

I've just finished sampling ALL of the 12 scents and I have to say only 2 didn't work for me, the rest are well-done, some of them are great! They are in fact like a “breath of fresh air” in all this “floral fruity mall-o-rama” that's been going on lately. I don't know if it's just me but so many boring unoriginal, dull fragrances have been coming out in the past months ( I am talking here about mainstream scents). These 12 Private Blend scents just go to show once more that Ford really suits my tastes and as far as I'm concerned he can do no wrong really. At least he hasn't so far.

Robin,I have been searching high and low to order tobacco vanille online,I am from Canada,is there any place that I can order? or else a US site will do.
I have searched the stores you have listed but have not found it.
thanks for your help.

It is only at Bergdorf Goodman and the Tom Ford boutiques. I don't think it is online, but fairly sure either will send it to you if you order over the phone. I honestly don't know where (or if) they are carried in Canada, sorry!

I reckon Tobacco Vanille is the best and most interesting of them. When I was a little girl my father smoked a pipe and I remember taking the lid off his tabbaco tin and smeling this sweet ,lightly spiced, tabbaco – that's what Tabbaco Vanille smells like to me. It's such a rich and oppulent scent – all-consuming really.

I found Oud Wood, Tuscan Leather and Vanille Tobacco the most pleasant to my nose and most complex and I'd say unique? The perfumes stays close to skin but the person wearing it can smell it. Its is kind of private perfume though I must admit that with the wind you can get quite a cloud of perfume coming. My partner wore Tobacco Vanille and with the wind I could clearly smell that wonderful and so strange composition. If not buying, for definite it is worth at least trying all of them. It has this Tom Ford face / stamp. Like Chanel or Hermes has. You just KNOW that this is it.

Robin and everyone, these JUST came to Holt Renfrew here in Vancouver two weeks ago, at $210 Cdn for 50mls. I sniffed quite a number at lunchtime until my poor little nose was completely confused!! (No one knew where the samples were; the woman in charge was on a break.)

I can say that what I did sniff was VERY impressive. These are generally quite weighty, woody/resinous scents that pack an elegant wallop. the Oudh Wood is an exceptionally smooth oudh, the Tobacco Vanilla very fresh, the Purple Patchouli skanky/flowery in a really interesting way, the Tuscan leather true-to-leather with a few nice dried herbs, clean and firm. . .I am definitely going back for more research!

Kevin reviewed the Purple Patchouli. I've finally smelled some of them (have a complete set but still working my way through), and they're worth trying. Still don't think they're worth the money, but that's just me.

The Private Blend is in “exclusive” distribution only — Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman Marcus (and for all 3, only at selected locations — my local Nordstrom & NM doesn't have any of them) and Tom Ford Boutiques.

Does anyone know of a scent similar to Tobacco Vanille and Noir de Noir? They happen to be my favorites of the collection and i really love them but theyre a bit too pricy for me. if anyone has any suggestions please oh please do comment! it would be greatly appreciated! thanks everyone!!